In front of the former American diplomatic representation, Iranian and Palestinian flags flew, as well as those of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, supported by the Islamic Republic.
Hundreds of Iranians gathered this Sunday in the center of the capital, Tehran, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the hostage taking at the United States embassy in 1979.
In front of the former American diplomatic representation, Iranian and Palestinian flags flew, as well as those of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, supported by the Islamic Republic.
Many carried signs with slogans such as “Death to the United States” or “Death to Israel,” in both Persian and English, international agencies reported.
Since Saturday morning, state media broadcast revolutionary anthems denouncing the aforementioned “crimes” of the United States against the Iranian nation.
On November 4, 1979, less than nine months after the overthrow of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a group of students supporting the Islamic Revolution stormed the United States embassy in Tehran, accusing it of being a “nest of spies.” .”
To free the hostages, the students demanded that the United States extradite the Shah to stand trial in Iran.
The crisis only ended 444 days later, after the death of the deposed Shah in Egypt, with the release of 52 American diplomats.
Washington subsequently severed diplomatic relations with Tehran, which have not been restored since, and imposed an embargo.
This Sunday’s demonstration takes place at a time when Israel, a declared enemy of the Islamic Republic, is at war with several of Iran’s allies: Hamas, in Gaza, and Hezbollah, on its northern border.
On October 26, the Israeli army publicly admitted, for the first time, to having attacked military targets in Iranian territory, in an operation presented as retaliation for the Iranian missile attacks against Israel on October 1.
Israel warned Iran not to retaliate against these attacks, in which at least four soldiers were killed, according to Iranian officials.
On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to respond to any attacks by Israel and its ally, the United States, against Iran or its allied groups in the region.
For its part, the United States announced on Friday new deployments of military forces to the Middle East, including defenses against ballistic missiles, fighters and bombers, which will arrive “in the coming months” in “defense of Israel” and as a warning. to Iran.
Source: Observadora
